15.06.2026 14:20
A verdict has been reached in the trial of Berkan C., who murdered his 34-week pregnant wife Elif C. with 12 stab wounds in Kastamonu. The suspect, whose unbelievable defense in court—'I smoked the cigarette the neighbor gave me and slept like dead for 8 days'—was rejected, has been sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for 'intentional killing of a spouse'.
The final verdict was announced in the trial of a woman's murder in Kastamonu on April 21, 2025, which sent chills down the spines of those who heard it. The husband, the perpetrator of the brutality uncovered by foul odors coming from an apartment on Arnavut Street in the İnönü district, could not escape justice in the case in which he was tried.
FOUL ODORS REVEALED THE BRUTALITY
The chilling incident came to light following a report to the 112 Emergency Call Center by residents living in the building due to foul odors spreading through the apartment. Upon the report, teams entering the specified apartment encountered the lifeless body of Elif C., who was 34 weeks pregnant. Forensic examinations determined that the unfortunate woman had been brutally murdered with 12 stab wounds to her body, and that her corpse had been left in the home for more than 10 days. Following the incident, her husband Berkan C., who was apprehended, was charged with 'intentional homicide against a spouse.'
UNBELIEVABLE DEFENSE: I SMOKED A CIGARETTE AND SLEPT FOR 8 DAYS
The verdict was reached at the 3rd hearing of the trial held at the Kastamonu Heavy Penal Court. While the murder suspect Berkan C. and the parents of the victim Elif C. attended the hearing via SEGBIS (Audio and Visual Information System), the defendant's lawyers and officials from the Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services were present in the courtroom.
While the victim's mother demanded the harshest punishment for the defendant, suspect Berkan C., who denied the allegations, made the following shocking statements in his court testimony:
"Have the test results been announced, was any substance found in my blood? I haven't seen them, I don't know. Because of a cigarette given to me by my neighbor, I slept like a dead person for 8 days. I don't understand why I slept. I was like dead... Let the person who gave me that cigarette also be prosecuted. I don't understand why he hasn't been prosecuted. I object to the opinion and request my acquittal."
AGGRAVATED LIFE IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT REDUCTION
The lawyer from the Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services, who took the floor during the hearing, requested that the defendant be given the maximum sentence without any unjust provocation or discretionary reduction, in line with the opinion.
The court panel, after hearing the parties and their lawyers, disregarded the defendant's unbelievable defense and announced its decision. The panel ruled that the murder committed by the defendant Berkan C. against his pregnant wife was proven, and sentenced the defendant to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of 'intentional homicide against a spouse.'